By Bradley Nandasaba, Vihiga
Inside some public hospitals in Vihiga County, the pattern had become painfully familiar. A patient walks into a government facility seeking treatment. Minutes later, a health worker quietly suggests a private clinic “with better services” just a few metres away.
Families, anxious and desperate, follow the advice, often unaware that the same treatment could have been offered inside the public hospital they had just left.
Now, county authorities say the practice has grown into a disturbing culture of illegal patient diversion driven by personal and financial interests.
Investigations by County Splash digital, have established that the vice is most prevalent at Vihiga County Referral Hospital (VTRH) and several sub-county hospitals, where patients are allegedly redirected to private facilities despite the availability of services within public institutions.
The investigations further reveal that the practice is now slowly spreading into Level Two and Level Three health centres, raising fears of a widening corruption network within the county’s healthcare system.
In a sharply worded directive sent to healthcare workers across the county, Dr Nicholas Kitungulu warned medical staff against referring patients to private facilities when the required services are already available in public hospitals.
“The practice is illegal, unethical and a gross violation of public trust,” Dr Kitungulu said in the letter, signaling what could become one of the county’s toughest crackdowns on corruption within the health sector.
The County Executive Committee Member for Health said some referrals were no longer being guided by medical necessity, but by hidden financial arrangements that exploit vulnerable patients at their most desperate moments.
“Clinical decisions must be made solely in the best interest of the patient, free from financial or personal influence,” he warned.
For struggling families already weighed down by rising medical costs, the diversions often come with devastating consequences, forcing them to spend money they cannot afford in private facilities while public hospitals remain equipped to offer the same care.
Health experts warn that the growing trend risks eroding public confidence in government hospitals, particularly at a time when many Kenyans depend on overstretched county facilities for affordable healthcare.
Dr Kitungulu reminded healthcare workers that they are bound by professional ethics and national laws, including the Public Service Code of Conduct and Ethics (2016), anti-corruption laws, and the Public Officers Ethics Act.
He warned that those found culpable risk imprisonment, fines, suspension or revocation of licences, disciplinary action, and summary dismissal from public service.
“All healthcare workers must adhere strictly to ethical referral practices and provide care based on clinical need and patients’ best interests,” he said.
The county government has now directed medical staff to immediately report any suspected cases of patient diversion as authorities intensify investigations into the alleged scheme.
Dr Kitungulu said the county would increase surveillance and conduct audits on referral patterns across public hospitals to identify suspicious movements of patients between facilities.
“We shall work closely with oversight bodies, including the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission and professional regulatory councils, to investigate any suspected misconduct,” he stated.
